Tasty and/or medicinal mushrooms can be grown at home! Since a spray mister or outside sprinkler can make it rain any time, growing your own mushrooms means they can be available when the wild patches are sparse. Growing mushrooms these days can be done just about anywhere, from in the garden to a small corner of your house or even in your closet!

However, as a community of fungi lovers, it is our responsibility to take into consideration the complex and nuanced interactions of the fungal world and try our best to cultivate bio-regionally appropriate species/varieties/strains when possible, especially if we are growing outdoors.

While we know a lot about invasive plants, animals and even disease-causing microbes, the field of invasive mycology is still in its infancy - we might describe this as the field studying the impact of rampantly spreading and/or non-native fungi in any particular area. There are an increasing number of studies being published highlighting species of mushroom-forming fungi that have essentially “escaped” cultivation or have spread from the import of trees for industry, causing unforeseen ecological consequences in their wake. Invasive fungi, just like invasive plants and animals, have the potential to displace native and specialized populations of organisms, causing changes in biogeochemical cycling, trophic interactions and even possibly extinction events. Check out the spread of Pleurotus citrinopileatus or Amanita phalloides. Some links below!

Andi Bruce’s Research on the Spread of Golden Oysters

Concerns Rise as Golden Oyster Mushrooms Spread Across North America

Invasive Californian Death Caps Develop Mushrooms Unisexually and Bisexually

Towards Management of Invasive Ectomycorrhizal Fungi

List of known invasive fungi

All that said, a variety of fungi can be grown at home, including everything from common "button" mushrooms to gourmet morels, shiitake and even truffles. Some species are harder to grow than others, so if you're just starting out, try oyster mushrooms and shiitake, which are some of the easiest to cultivate.